Summer Plan

Welcome to June!

I have no idea how we're in it, but here we are. :)

Official news: We're not moving.  I made the decision when the Jeremelon first put in for a transfer that we wouldn't do it if we would lose insurance indefinitely.  A couple months while switching jobs would have been fine, but not knowing when we would get it back would not be.  Result: There were no positions for him on the same level, so he would have had to step back a rung.  That would mean losing insurance.

I'm not sad about not moving.  I'd finally reached a place wherein I could be excited at the prospect of change and trying something new.  The living situation we would be undertaking was not, however, my first choice.  By any stretch.  While staying means a lot more work, a lot less family time, and more financial/time stress, it also means a lot less moving stress and loss of funds from getting ourselves to California.  Neither is ideal.  If I can get out of moving at this point in my life, though, I'll take it. :)

I AM excited about staying here because of what it will mean for my doula work.  I can compile my resources list using things I'm already familiar with, for one.  The bigger bonus is that I know the hospitals, I know the area, I know how long it takes to get around town at various times of day.  I know that I can take clients in the Springs and clients near DIA.  I know that trying to take clients from the northwest side of the city is a bad idea.  Plus, I have contacts here.  I know other new doulas I can use as backups, as well as educators, midwives, doctors, and shops that cater to pregnant and new mommies.  Rather than waiting even longer to really get into marketing and the actual work of being a doula, I can start when I feel I'm ready for the birth aspects.

That's getting a little ahead of myself, though.  July is going to be my month to really focus on doula stuff.  June is about finishing school.  I have my health class to finish and my final history class to take.  I have every expectation that it's going to try to kill me before the month is out, but we'll see. :)  I'm registering to graduate tomorrow (again, but for the last time), and I am so very ready to be finished.

I've got some fun and rousing things planned for this summer, other than the above (as if they aren't enough :) )!  Through FLOWE, I'm running our annual GEM of the NILE challenge.  Each participant strives to reach 90,000 words by the end of August.  Starts today!  90,000 is the basic length of a full novel, so it's really "write a book in a summer!"  And I plan to. :)  I've never actually won this, but I'm determined that I shall do it this year.  Updates on that can be found on Twitter and my Facebook writer page, as well as my LiveJournal (ask me if you want to know how to access them - this is my personal, somewhat anonymous blog, so I don't want to add direct links).  This will actually be two separate projects - one novel for submission sometime toward the end of the year, and one internet project that I've been planning for over a year now.  The latter WILL need beta readers, so if you feel like reading something and giving your opinion, let me know! :)

One of my major goals for this summer is to go "selectively unplugged."  I spend way too much time surfing and obsessively checking Facebook in the hopes I might find some internet chatter to feel like I have social contact with the world outside my apartment.  I didn't realize that's what I was doing until last week.  It's a total waste of time, because unlike my teens and early twenties, I'm not in the right places to find online socializers.  I need to find the right places, and be more particular about how I spend my online time.  To that end, I'm likely not going to be blogging here that often.  I will, however, be posting things on my Berry Patch House blog (link on sidebar).  Perhaps not frequently, but it will chronicle my many, many planned projects for making a home out of my apartment.  That's in addition to our family goal of paring down our food budget while increasing our nutritional intake, and spending better time together even while we spend more time apart.  Please feel free to pop by and leave comments!

I also have another blog in the works (I know, I know).  This one is going to be an entertainment review blog, a place where I can showcase other people's professional stories from all formats while also honing my analytical writing abilities.  I will post a link when it's ready.  I'm really looking forward to this project.  Not only will it help me become a better writer and potentially help me get a job in the future, but it also means I get to read, watch movies, and play games for more than just something to do! :D

As lesser hopes go, I'm also hoping to learn some Javascript and how to use Dreamweaver, design three professional websites for myself, and build a few mods for games like FallOut 3.  If I really manage to get my stuff together, maybe I'll also dabble with that video game script I've had in my head for years.

Basically, I've wanted to use this year as The Year of Crazy-Awesome Productivity.  I have as yet not made it live up to that nom-de-guerre.  This summer, I'm aiming to change that.  I'm unplugging from my personal social networking and plugging into my professional side.  This will hopefully mean less random time wasting, and more purposeful, productive use of my days.

Whatever happens, please do come along for the ride!  Visit my writing networks and my projects, keep in touch, and ask questions if you're so inclined. :)

Above all, have an amazing summer!

See you on the other side. :)